Attachment for dental handpieces



April 1941- F. J. GlBBONS ETAL 2,239,845

. umcmwnm FOR DENTAL munrmcms Filed June 29. 1940 FRAHTJS J. 6E5 aw N JOHN J 6115mm; INVENTORJ- Patented Apr. 29, 1941 ATTACHMENT FOR DENTAL HANDPIECES Francis J. Gibbons and John J. Gibbons, Scranton, Pa., assignors of one-third to Anna Gibbons,

Brentwood, Md.

Application June 29, 1940, Serial No. 343,238

1 Claim.

This inventionrelates to an attachment for dental handpieces of the abrasive stone type used for performing certain dental grinding operations in the human oral cavity and upon vital teeth.

The methods in use at the present time consist of a hand water syringe, and a compressed air bottle spray. These methods are inconvenient and objectionable to the dentist because it requires the services of an assistant to manipulate these contraptions for cooling dental abrasive heat generating stones, while the dentist is performing dental abrasive stone operations within the human oral cavity and upon the vital teeth. The syringe and spray bottle methods have a limited supply and require refilling.

Furthermore the dentist who is without an assistant is handicapped, because without the aid of an'assistant the dentist therefore causes unnecessary discomfort to the patients by the overheating of these abrasive stones during dental abrasive stone operations.

Therefore we have conceived of the construction of a saddle shaped clamp device that can be attached to a dental engine handpiece that supports a faucet with a built in valve with a thumb spring lever control on the valve for the control of the water stream that is conveyed from the drinking glass nozzle of the dental fountain by a flexible tubing with coupling and conveyed to the faucet as a reservoir. From this faucet reservoir, the dentist with the use of the thumb spring lever control on the valve can gauge the water stream velocity to the mouth of the nozzle of the faucet and upon the abrasive heat generating dental stone, causing a more uniform coolness and at the same time perform the dental abrasive stone operation without the aid of an assistant.

This device is adjustable in an upward and downward water stream aim position by a thread bar attached to th faucet and acting as an axis through an aperture on the upper right side of the saddle shaped clamp in conjunction with a circular projected rudder on the base of faucet symmetrical with a grooved circular track on the concave sill of the saddle shaped clamp and held in either of those positions by a threaded thumb and forefinger nut set. This device is also adjrstable for an inward, outward:

and bilateral water stream aiming position by a threaded bar attached to the left lower side of the saddle shaped clamp and running through an aperture on the right side of the lower sad.

dle shaped clamp and held firmly in either of these positions by a thumb and forefinger threaded nut set to the dental engine handpiece. a

The water stream after performing its function in cooling the abrasive stone,'is then carried away in the usual way from the mouth of the human oral cavity to the fountain waste drainage by the use of the dental saliva ejector.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 illustrates in side view a dental handp-iece of the abrasive stone type provided with a nozzle attachmentembodying the principle of our invention; a

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the handpiece showing in plan view the clamp for supporting the nozzle attachment;

Figure 3 is a view of the faucet or ball-shaped valve housing viewed from below;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the dental handpiece viewed from the side opposite to Fig. 1;

Figure 5 is an end view of the dental handpiece including the nozzle attachment; and

Figure 6 is a view, at right-angles to that of Fig. 4, of the nozzle attachment, detached from the dental handpiece.

Figure 1 illustrates this invention in a vertical left side view mounted on a section of a dental engine handpiece l to which is connected the abrasive heat-generating dental stone 2. The invention is in position for the conveyance of the water stream from the drinking glass nozzle at the dental fountain through the flexible tubing 5 which is connected by a suitable coupling to the mouth of the drinking glass nozzle. The water stream is conveyed through the flexible tubing, which is connected by a nippleshaped connection to a nozzle 1 on the dental engine handpiece l communicating with a faucet or ball-shaped valve housing 8. The faucet serves as a Water reservoir and a spring lever control stop pin is exteriorly provided on a faucet. A spring lever control H on the valve stem 9 permits the dentist to gauge the velocity of the water stream to be carried to the mouth of discharge tube l2 for the cooling of dental abrasive heat generating stone 2 during dental operations.

Figure 4 illustrates a Vertical right side section of the device mounted upon a section of a dental engine handpiece l and firmly clamped I by thumb and forefinger threaded nut set I3 with a section of faucet 8 in position and clamped firmly by a thumb and forefinger threaded nut set [6,.

Figure 5 illustrates a front vertical view of this device and shows a front view of abrasive stone 2 with mouth nozzle l2 in position.

Figure 6 illustrates a vertical back view of the device, showing a threaded axis bar l4 attached to the side of faucet 8 and extending through an aperture in the right, upper side of a saddleshaped clamp 15. This threaded axis bar is for the upward and downward adjustment of the water stream directed from the mouth of nozzle l2, as indicated in Figure 1, and is clamped in position by means of a set nut It. On the lower portion of the saddle-shaped clamp a threaded bar l1, attached to the left side [8 of the saddle shaped clamp, extends through an aperture in the right side of this saddle-shaped clamp. These bars 14 and [1 allow for the inward, outward and lateral adjustment of the water stream directed from the nozzle l2, as indicated in Figure -1. The saddle-shaped clamp may be retained in adjusted position upon the dental engine handpiece by means of a set nut l3 threaded on bar I1.

Figure 2 illustrates a top vertical view of the saddle shaped clamp mounted upon a section of the-dental engine handpiece l showing sill I9 with a concavity 20 containing ahorizontal circular symmetrical grooved track 2| for a circular symmetrical projected rudder 22 on faucet 8, this rudder extending circumferentially outward from the spherical base 23 of faucet 8. Thisallows the ball-shaped faucet 8 to function with the horizontal circular symmetrical grooved track 2| of Figure 2 and in conjunction with the axis threaded bar M in Figure 6 for upward and downward adjustments.

We claim:

A nozzle attachment for a dental handpiece of the type comprising an elongated handle and a circular abrasive stone rotatably mounted upon one end of said handle, said nozzle attachment comprising a clamp embracing the handle, a concave seat upon said clamp, a hollow spherical valve housing supported upon said seat, means including a flexible conduit for connecting said valve housing to a source of water supply, said valve housing being adjustable lengthwise of the handle, an elongated fluid-discharge tube extending from said valve housing to a position adjacent the abrasive stone, said fluid-discharge tube having its outlet disposed so as to direct a jet of water therefrom at approximately right angle to the longitudinal axis of the tube, a valve-operating lever located adjacent the valve housing for controlling the passage of water therethrough, an interfitting key-and-slot connection between the spherical valve housing and the seat permitting rotative adjustment of said housing upon its seat in a plane substantially including the longitudinal axis of said fluid-discharge tube, an ear projecting from said clamp, fastening means extending between the ear and valve housing adapted to retain the valve housing in any selected position of pivotal adjustment upon its seat, and a valve-operating lever located adjacent the valve housing for controlling the passage of Water therethrough.

FRANCIS J. GIBBONS. JOHN J. GIBBONS. 

